The Museum

Memorabilia

The Museum

Stevenson Memorabilia

Personal Material

This is a collection of hundreds of artifacts which were the personal belongings of Robert Louis Stevenson and his family. Included are a wide range of items, such as clothing, furniture, toys, the family silver, 12 family scrapbooks, fine art, etc. Highlights of these items include Stevenson’s grandfather’s grandfather clock, his wedding ring, his leaded toy soldiers, original portraits of Stevenson (including those by Ernest Narjot and Augustus Saint-Gaudens), Fanny’s Chinese embroidered coat (which she had been photographed in), Stevenson’s father’s cheese box (inspiration for a plot point in Treasure Island), the gloves Fanny “dishonestly confiscated” from Henry James, artwork by almost every member of the family, and Stevenson’s terrestrial globe, to name but a few.

Port of Edinburgh by R. L. Stevenson

R. L. Stevenson’s Hair, 1855

Fanny & Lloyd by Belle Osbourne

RLS’s wedding band & ring

Stevenson Family, c. 1883

RLS’s terrestrial globe.

Vailima by Joe Strong, 1892

Henry James’ gloves

Associated Material

This includes hundreds of objects, ranging from Stevenson’s lifetime to the present, which help interpret the Robert Louis Stevenson legacy. Reflected in this collection are hundreds of photographs and dozens of fine pieces of art by Stevenson family friends, as well as those depicting the California landscape circa 1880 and other places Stevenson resided. There are also hundreds of pieces of derivative artwork and pop-culture items based on Stevenson and his literary works (including book illustrations, posters, advertisements, calendars, games, etc.), objects from the cultures Stevenson experienced in his travels (such as grass mats, tapa cloth and kava bowls from Samoa), and commemorative materials (such as coins, bank notes, t-shirts and stamps).

Poster for an adaptation of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, circa 1887.

Original gouache illustration by Gordon Brown for Stevenson’s story “The Beach of Falesa,” (1893).

Model of the Silverado Squatters’ cabin where the Stevensons stayed on Mount. St. Helena.

Ad for Guinness Irish Stout Beer from The Illustrated London News, 20 August 1955.